Page 30 of Protective Assignment (Warrior Peak Sanctuary #1)

It was a bright summer’s afternoon, the leaves rustling quietly as she followed the familiar path down to the cabin she shared with Cade.

Hard to believe it had already been eight months since she’d arrived here, but the turning of the seasons reminded her how much had changed since she had first come to this place in the fall.

And now she might be looking at a whole new start.

With the letter gripped tight in her hand, River hurried, hoping Cade would be there when she arrived. She didn’t want to wait any longer than she already had to open this thing, but she had promised she wouldn’t check her application until he was back.

She wasn’t sure how much longer she could contain herself. She felt as though she was going to explode as she stepped into the cabin and looked around—no sign of Cade yet.

She sank down on the couch with an impatient sigh and pressed the letter into her legs, looking down at it again. The Chapel Hill logo was on the top right corner, and she was sure this was it, the letter that would either confirm or deny she’d made it in to the university of her dreams.

Heading to town earlier in the day to pick up some supplies, she had stopped in at their post office box and found it waiting for her.

She knew Cade was away doing some training with guys from the lodge, so she promised herself that she wouldn’t open it until he was there with her to see what the letter said.

She was regretting that promise right about now because all she wanted to do was rip the envelope open.

What if she had been rejected? She couldn’t help but wonder how she would feel.

She had put so much stock into this moment, into getting accepted by the school, that she could hardly believe it was finally here.

Today she would find out one way or another what the next phase of her life was going to look like.

Terrifying? Completely. But she had long since learned that she could take a lot more of the scary stuff than she had ever imagined she could.

She had managed to get her GED, and had spent the better part of the spring writing endless essays and filling out applications to every university in the area.

She wanted to become a Licensed Professional Counselor, and even though it was going to be a long journey, she had to start somewhere.

Chapel Hill had been her first pick from day one, but she had never really let herself believe she would actually get accepted.

Staring at this letter that would decide her fate, she found herself wondering how she would feel if, just maybe, she had actually done it.

Finally, she heard Cade arrive. Good. She needed him by her to get through this.

“What’s going on?” he asked, as he went to make himself a coffee.

River held up the letter. “It’s from Chapel Hill,” she explained.

His eyes widened. “Did you get in?”

“I haven’t opened it yet,” she admitted. “I wanted to wait until you were here.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?” he demanded, grinning widely. “Go for it!”

She had been so excited, almost bouncing off the walls, but now she hesitated. She didn’t know if she could. Now that she’d had time to think about it, the fear was starting to creep in.

“You open it,” she told Cade, handing the letter over to him. He took it from her, and she chewed her lip and watched his face as he slowly opened it.

A smile spread over his face. “You got in!” he exclaimed, and she let out a shriek.

“You’re serious?” She snatched the letter from him, skimming through it.

Sure enough, he was telling the truth—they had offered her a place to study psychology, starting in the fall.

She clapped a hand over her mouth, hardly able to contain herself.

It was such an amazing feeling. She wanted to run and tell everyone she’d done it.

“I knew you would,” Cade told her, scooping her up into his arms and kissing her firmly on the lips.

She laughed and hugged him back. “I need to call Haven to tell her the good news.”

“Absolutely,” He replied. “You do that and I’ll go rustle up some grub from the cafeteria so we can have a celebratory dinner tonight.”

“Sounds like a plan,” she said, planting a quick kiss on his mouth. “Thank you.”

She talked to Haven for the next half hour via video chat, sharing her good news and just catching up.

Even though River had yet to make it to New York because of school, getting her GED, working on college applications, and everything going on around the lodge, she and her sister spoke every day. Sometimes her mom joined in too.

Their first conversations were so emotional it had taken several calls to just get through the basics of what had happened over the years and not cry every other word.

But how wonderful it had been to see her mother and sister and to meet her niece!

Now they spoke regularly and made plans to visit each other soon.

Just knowing that her family was safe and they had a wonderful life meant the world to River.

The next day Cade had planned a hike with their friends from the lodge. They packed a picnic and hit the trail that ran into the woods and up to a viewpoint over the town below. It was a beautiful day as they set out together.

Hannah walked with her and Cade nearly the whole way. “You’ve done so well, River. You should be so proud of yourself. I’m so glad you’ll be staying here and doing classes remotely—double win!”

“Me too,” River replied, grinning widely as Cade gave her hand a squeeze. They’d both agreed that doing her university coursework while living at Warrior Peak Sanctuary would be the best of all possible worlds.

“Sad that you won’t get in your wild partying years?” Hannah asked playfully.

River laughed and shook her head. “Not when my other option is staying here with Cade. I’ll take that over partying any day. He’s all I want.”

He looked over at her fondly and winked, and then glanced over his shoulder, seeing the guys fall behind.

“Hey, keep up, guys!” he called to them, and he dropped back to match their pace, leaving Hannah and River alone.

“You want to wait for them?” River asked.

“No, let’s keep walking,” she replied, looking downward.

River lowered her voice. “Is everything okay?”

“I don’t even know,” she sighed. “I’m not even sure where to start. I feel like I’m going crazy. It’s been months, and I don’t know what I’m supposed to do with all of it.”

“With all of what?”

“With the way I feel about Xavier,” she admitted. “It’s just…it all feels like such a mess, that’s all. With Xavier kissing me and Lawson finding out, then the two of them arguing… Everything seems so strained now between us all.” She trailed off, and then shook her head.

“I’m sorry, this day is supposed to be about celebrating you,” she added. “Let’s not talk about my stuff. It’s all so jumbled right now.”

“I don’t mind talking about your stuff, but I understand,” River replied. “Just know you can always come to me if you need someone to talk to.”

“Hey, you’re already acting like a therapist.” Hannah joked. “You’re going to be at the top of your class in no time, I can feel it!”

River giggled. She was still trying to wrap her head around the fact she had actually made it into the school of her dreams. It all felt so surreal, when she thought about where she had been this time last year.

Out on the road, alone and scared, fighting to get to her family, constantly looking over her shoulder because she was terrified that Ryker would find her.

She never would have imagined she would feel this free and be this happy.

She felt ready to take on the world. She didn’t have to stay on the run or worry for her life or the lives of anyone she cared about.

Discovering who she really was underneath the programming of the Shepards and the fear and pain they had inflicted on her had been a joy.

Cade caught up with them again and slipped his hand into hers.

He always held her hand when they were out and she loved it.

It was like he wanted to make sure she was always next to him.

She didn’t want to be anywhere else. She smiled over at him, the warmth of the sunshine bathing her face for a moment as he gazed back at her.

Hannah fell back with the guys for a while, and River looked over her shoulder to see how it was going. Carter was chatting with Hannah, while Lawson and Xavier were off to the side and seemed uncomfortable. River hoped they’d be able to work it all out.

But before she could mention it to Cade, he pointed over to the side. “Look, we’re at the viewpoint.”

He was right. They had already reached the spot that looked down over the town below. The sun shone through the trees around them, a soft breeze stirring the leaves, and the sky so blue above them it seemed to go on forever.

“It’s so beautiful up here,” she breathed, leaning her head against his shoulder for a moment. They had come up here a lot since the weather had started to warm up. It had become one of her favorite spots, and it was a perfect place to celebrate getting accepted into college.

“It is,” he murmured, turning toward her. The look on his face shifted to something more serious.

He took a deep breath. “River, there’s something I wanted to ask you,” he said, sliding his hand into his pocket.

“What? Is everything okay?”

“More than okay,” he assured her, smiling.

“I… These last few months, they’ve been some of the happiest of my life.

Being with you, it’s given me a purpose like nothing else.

And I want to spend the rest of my life fulfilling that purpose—being here for you, supporting you and loving you while you achieve everything you were meant to achieve. ”

Her lips parted in surprise. She wasn’t sure where this had come from, but when he pulled a small blue box from his pocket, it clicked.

She felt a wave of dizziness rush over her and she pressed hand against her stomach to stop the butterflies.

He dropped to one knee right there on the grass before her and opened up the box. The diamond sparkled in the sunshine.

He looked up at her, his eyes shining with love. “River, will you marry me?”

“Oh my gosh! Of course I will!” she shrieked, and she pulled him to his feet and leaped into his arms.

He laughed, pulling back just long enough to slip the ring over her finger, and then squeezed her against him once more.

“I love you, River,” he told her. “And I’m going to spend the rest of my life making sure you know how much I mean that.”

“I love you too,” she breathed back, and she kissed him again.

As their friends congratulated them and she showed Hannah her ring, she felt content and so excited for a future she never could have dreamed for herself. A life she couldn’t wait to experience with the man she adored right by her side.

* * * * *

Look for more books in USA TODAY bestselling author Janie Crouch’s miniseries, Warrior Peak Sanctuary, coming soon, only from Harlequin Intrigue!

Keep reading for an excerpt from Crime Lab Cold Case by Carol Ericson.